05/05/2019 Iraq (International Christian Concern) – The Iraqi government is pushing for the establishment of a single detention camp which would isolate approximately 30,000 Iraqis expected to be repatriated from Syria following their capture in ISIS’s last stronghold.
This strategy is under criticism, as concern has been raised that a single camp this large would create conditions which would deepen their radicalization. Some have proposed opening a second camp in Tal Afar, located in the Nineveh Plains. However, this is also concerning. Tal Afar would place known ISIS supporters directly between where the two victims of the militants’ genocide—the Yazidis and Christians—are located.
While this second location does not appear to be gaining traction at this time, the suggestion is in part a result of a different problem. The detention camp is not only intended to contain these ISIS supporters. The camp also protects them from revenge killings. How to handle these issues, and where to base operations, is an essential question that will only grow in importance in the coming months.
